The world is filled with temptation. In other news, water is wet. Yes, yes…we know our opening statement is stating the obvious, but sometimes it’s important that we remind ourselves just how many potential pitfalls are lurking around every corner. And when it comes to being single and dating, there just seems to be a whole new batch of potential temptations ready to try and take us down.
Today, we want to explore some of these temptations and discuss self-control and how it relates to Christ-centered dating.
“Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.” – Titus 2:6
While this verse mentions young men, we want to be clear that we are talking to men and women here. The temptations that come with singleness and dating are strong on both sides, so no one needs to feel excluded today.
With dating, the list of temptations is lengthy. It includes things like sexual temptations, opportunities for jealousy and envy, chances for overindulgence, temptations to sacrifice your morals—just to name a few. Thankfully, God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.”
But it’s important to point out that the verse doesn’t say “God will beat the temptation for us; we don’t have to do anything.” It states that God won’t give us more than we can handle, but that means we may need to use the skills and resources God has made available to us to beat these temptations.
There’s a popular phrase that says failure to plan is planning to fail. And we feel that is certainly the case here. Before you put yourself into a situation where you’re going to be subjected to a particular temptation, spend some time coming up with a plan to protect yourself. Pray for wisdom, reach out to wise counsel, and get a plan in place to keep your heart safe.
For example, let’s say you’re worried about going too far physically with someone you’re on a date with. A plan to prevent that might include things like never being alone in a bedroom together. It might include inviting a chaperone/friend/double date along for the first few dates. It might mean having your dates end before a certain hour and always being in public.
While these steps could sound dramatic to some people (maybe not), temptation can be powerful. It’s much easier to put plans in place to beat temptation when you’re not in the heat of the moment. Never underestimate the power of temptation when you’re at your most vulnerable.
Ideally, we’d recommend coming up with a list of strategies you’re going to stick to for each dating temptation you might be worried about.
📝 Here’s Some Reflection Questions:
- What temptations have you had to deal with in the past?
- What temptations are you anticipating you might have to deal with in the future?
- For each of these, what are some strategies you can write down to protect yourself from doing something you don’t want to do?
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